Mark Duplass says he has come up with a “dream moment” for this year’s Emmy Awards — and it sounds more like a nightmare. The idea is that both he and his brother Jay are nominated in the category of outstanding supporting actor in a limited series or TV movie — Mark for “Good American Family,” Jay for “Dying for Sex.”
“We’re at the awards ceremony, sitting next to each other, and we’re both nervous as hell,” Mark says. “And they say, ‘The winner is….mppphhh Duplass!’ I just hear ‘Duplass’ and I run up there and have a full-on ‘Zoolander’ moment where I thank Jay profusely for taking the back seat to me on this one and don’t realize that it was him that won the award. That would be my dream.”
It’s a scene straight out of a Duplass brothers movie, one that makes Mark laugh and Jay cringe. “Devastating. Horrible” is all Jay will say, even though in this scenario, he’s the winner.
The brothers made their name as a DIY filmmaking team with their initial feature, 2005’s “The Puffy Chair,” but the duo hasn’t directed together since the 2011 comedy “Jeff Who Lives at Home.” (“The Do-Deca-Pentathlon” was released in 2012 but actually shot prior.) Instead, they’ve been busy building an empire that includes creating shows like “Togetherness” and “Room 104” and producing films like “The Skeleton Twins” and the Emmy-winning doc series “Wild Wild Country.”
But general audiences likely know them best from their roles as actors – Mark has been appearing in their projects since the beginning and appeared as a regular in series from “The League” to “The Morning Show.” Jay came to acting later after doing a small role alongside Mark on “The Mindy Project,” but truly blossomed with the 2014 series “Transparent.”
And now they find themselves occupying similar space as actors playing dubious husbands in two different Hulu limited series. “Good American Family,” based on the strange true story of Natalia Grace, a young girl legally declared an adult by her adoptive parents, Kristine and Michael Barnett. Mark stars opposite Ellen Pompeo as Michael, who is initially loyal to his daughter but ultimately turns on her. “Dying for Sex” is also based on a true story and stars Michelle Williams as Molly Kochan, a writer whose cancer diagnosis sends her on a journey of self-discovery through her sexuality. Jay stars as her husband Steve, who is unable to view his wife sexually and, though loyal, emotionally stunted. Asked which husband is most disappointing and Jay notes, “It’s a real race to the bottom on that one.”
You’re playing real-life people who in many ways it would be easy to dislike but you manage to make them so complex. Was that part of what intrigued you about the projects?
Jay Duplass: For sure. But also, with the scripts and Michelle Williams, I would have played any role because I knew we had a shot at making a great piece of art. But I thought it was cool as hell they made Steve complicated. It’s very clear that he loves her and I think it’s romantic that she says, “I’m going to divorce you and have sex with as many people as I can and also I still need your credit card” and he was like, “You got it.” I was honestly honored that they thought of me as a person that could be a villain, but play it in an understandable way so we knew that ultimately, he was a good guy.
Mark Duplass: For whatever reason, there’s a history of people leveraging what they perceive as the Duplass brothers — the kind of good guy personas who help independent filmmakers — and casting us as complicated and unlikable people. That was part of “Good American Family” because for the first three episodes, my character seems nice. It’s also why casting Ellen was brilliant — she’s had 20 years of being America’s trusted, reliable narrator.
Did you know you’d be starring in series at the same time? Do you consult each other before taking acting jobs?
Jay Duplass: We only consult on a life basis, like, “Should I go to Dublin and do this movie? Should I go to New York?” We consult each other from a life perspective — less so creatively, I think.
Mark Duplass: Every job is different. For me, “Good American Family” was kind of a no-brainer in that it checked all the boxes — it worked with my schedule, it shot in L.A.
Jay Duplass: “Dying for Sex” felt like a pretty easy yes, but we did talk about it in terms of what it meant for lifestyle — being away from my family. It was also a big swing; I wasn’t sure they would be able to pull off the tonal tightrope of full-blown drama and hard comedy at the same time; putting Michelle Williams, one of our greatest living dramatic actors in the same show as someone like Rob Delaney, who is one of the funniest humans alive. But I think they pulled it off.
Mark Duplass: But that’s why they cast you, because you’re the bridge, dude. You’re the dramedy guy. You’re the direct line between Michelle Williams and Rob Delaney. That’s what you do.
Jay Duplass: That’s a great compliment. I will take that Venn diagram.
I definitely ask Mark for advice way more than he’s asked me for advice. I think the only, the only territory where Mark would ask me for advice would be directing, but he doesn’t do that.
Mark Duplass: Well the advice I give is “Just don’t do it.”
Jay Duplass: It’s hard! It’s so hard. But Mark helps me with acting all the time. There are so many elements when it comes down to taking an acting job. Where are you going to be? Is your family going to be there?
Mark Duplass: …Is it a multi-year deal where you could get stuck there for seven years?
Jay Duplass: What is the likelihood that it’s going to be good? What are the other people who are in it? Are they assholes? I mean, the metrics that go into that and we talk about it a lot, like, should I go all the way out there? You really don’t have a lot of power when you’re an actor, and you can really feel like you’re a bit of a prisoner. So I have relied on Mark a ton to help me navigate the acting world.
Mark Duplass: When talking about acting roles, Jay is just so obsessed with quality. It’s just one of my favorite things about him. If he’s got two projects on his desk, and one is going to pay him $500,000 an episode, and one is going to pay him $150 a day and that one is 10% better then he’s like, “Of course, I’m going to take that.” And I’m just like, “Could you sell out a little bit? Could you just and put your face on a huge movie poster that goes out internationally, and see what that will do on the grander scope for your career?” Because once you’re like a Sebastian Stan-level movie star, it can open so many doors.
Funny you picked Sebastian Stan because I was just sitting here thinking Jay could be an Avenger.
Mark Duplass: He could be an Avenger! I mean, he might not be happy doing it, so that’s a discussion. Jay and I are both very conscious of the fact that, like, we’re in this unbelievable sweet spot where we can go out and make a living as an actor in really cool shows. We’re here having a conversation with you about potential Emmy Awards consideration and most streets we walk down, nobody gives a shit.
I would think you’d get a lot of, “Did we go to high school together?”
Mark Duplass: I get some of that, yes, I guess, in certain places, but like, particularly, like in L.A. and New York, like nobody cares, you know? And that anonymity is so valuable and so if we were talking about a Marvel show, as much as I’m encouraging Jay to expand, that would also be a part of our discussion. Is like, is this worth the potential loss of anonymity?
If he loses anonymity, do you feel that that also affects you?
Mark Duplass: Not really.
Jay Duplass: No. It doesn’t. Because Mark definitely got a little more zhuzh than I do. Like, sometimes Mark has trouble getting through airports. I think it’s “The League.”
Mark Duplass: There was something that we called the “sack tap” on “The League,” which is what it sounds like. And if you’re a fan of “The League,” you just want to be in on the fun. So there was a year there where I was like, “I think I might have to wear a cup in the airport.”
Jay Duplass: People are trying to sack tap my brother, and I’m trying to stiff arm them, and they don’t know who the hell I am.
Mark Duplass: People are like, “Why is Josh Radnor trying to protect Mark Duplass?”
Jay Duplass: Nobody ever tried to sack tap me. And I’m grateful for that.
variety.com
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